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Chapter 11
Previous Chapter Powered by adrenaline, Han pedaled down the dirt path towards the site of the meteor landing. He reached the edge of the road where he would have to go off trail, so he dismounted and took his bike lock. He secured the lock between the front wheel and the frame. Hiding the bike in a bush, he continued on foot. Then, Han got to the trees around crater’s edge, around fifty feet from the epicenter. The first thing he saw was the red-hot meteor at the bottom of the crater, like an evil eye. The impact crater was surprisingly shallow. There was a low rumbling that drew Han’s attention away from the meteor. It was coming from what appeared to be a large boulder opening up like a clam shell, revealing a man in a black robe. Han broke out in a cold sweat. This guy just manipulated rock! He had super powers of some sort. The man stumbled forth, shaking his head and clearly unsteady on his feet. The thought of going over to help the man didn’t even cross Han’s mind. There was simply something off about this guy. Regaining his balance, the man started looking around, clearly searching for something. Han quickly hid behind a redwood, adjusting his sunglasses and bringing the brim of his cap lower over his eyes. As much as he wanted to leave, Han couldn’t help but be curious about what was going on. It couldn’t hurt to follow him for a bit and see what he was up to, could it? Peeking around the trunk of the tree he was hidden behind, he saw the man heading in the opposite direction. As silently as he could, Han darted from tree to tree, keeping an eye on the man. Where was he going? The man didn’t seem to really know either, but he was determinedly looking for something. It didn’t take him long to find it. He quickened his pace, striding over to a man lying on the ground. Han darted forward as well, hoping to get a better vantage point to see what was going on. Getting to a mere twenty feet from the two men, Han crouched behind a tree, only his head sticking out to see what was going on. * * * Marcus’s whole body hurt. It was like he had broken every bone imaginable. He groaned in pain. Onyx had to still be out there, and no doubt he was looking for him. He was smarter than to use an attack that would incapacitate himself. Marcus needed to get up and get away from here. He tried to push himself up onto his knees, but his body screamed out in protest, and he let himself fall back down, groaning again as his body hit the ground. He was in worse shape than he thought. He looked to his left as he heard footsteps approaching. Help? No, that was too optimistic. The figure crouched down in front of him. “How’s it feel?” Onyx sneered. Marcus summoned whatever strength he had left, and made one more push to stand up. “Oh no, you don’t.” Onyx shouted as he stood up and delivered a sharp kick to Marcus’s stomach, lifting him up and sending him flying a couple feet. Marcus landed on his back, groaning and instinctively curling up to hide from the pain. Was there nothing he could do? His body wouldn’t respond the way he wanted it to. The darkness was setting in. He fought to stay conscious, but it was in vain. His eyelids were so heavy, and his vision was blurring, but he could just barely make out the silhouette of someone else hiding behind a tree close by. He reached out towards them, but another sharp kick slammed into him, and finally, he blacked out. * * * Han threw himself back behind the tree he was using as cover. This was not what he had expected to find when he came looking for the meteor. He knew one of them had powers. Did the other have powers too? They had clearly been fighting. The robed man just attacked the other guy who was already down. Was he going to kill him? Han took another peek. The man in the black robes was picking up the other man. Ok, so he was taking him away, not killing him, but that was still bad. Han took a deep breath. Maybe he should intervene. No, this wasn’t his fight; He should just call the police and let them sort this out. But there was no way they could get here in time. Han grimaced, closing his eyes. Whatever he was going to do, he had to do it quick. The suspicious man was going to get away. Han sighed. He was really going to risk himself for a stranger? It was crazy, but he had to do what was right. He must have been given his powers for a reason, after all. He untied the bandana around his wrist, giving it a little snap to unfurl it, then tied it around his face as a mask. At the very least, he wanted to keep his identity a secret. Other people might have been attracted by the sounds of the meteor too, so he had to act fast. Han concentrated, exhaling. Then he shot out twenty or so aura hands. Some scattered into out into different directions. Han made sure they flew stealthily so as to not be noticed by the man in the dark coat. Those hands would help him monitor the surrounding area, and notify him if others were coming. The rest remained close by, ready for action. He stepped out from behind his tree, and cleared his throat. “Put him down.” Han called out. “And I’ll let you leave.” The man looked over, caught off guard, but quickly regaining his composure. He sized up Han, then scoffed. “Get lost, kid.” He shouted back. He gestured towards Han, and a nearby rock exploded, dozens of razor-sharp rock shards flying straight at Han, who froze. He knew the man could manipulate rock, but this was not what he had expected. To have such efficient killing moves in his repertoire, and to use them so nonchalantly, this man was most certainly someone to be feared. A shadow of doubt and regret crossed Han’s mind, but it was quickly replaced with determined resolve. He directed his aura hands to come to his aid, and they flew forward as fast as lightning, catching all the rock shards. In synchronized motion, the hands dropped the rock shards. The robed man looked back towards Han, more amused than surprised. He dropped the other man, and started walking towards Han, who found himself rooted to the ground in fear. The man stopped a couple feet away from Han. “Onyx of Organization MERLIN, at your service.” Han didn’t reply. Instead, he swallowed his fear, adjusted his sunglasses, and brought his aura hands to his side. He lowered himself into his fighting stance. “I don’t know who you are, but I’m going to take you too, boy.” Onyx grinned. “Two of you so quickly. Must be my lucky day.” Though the words he heard were tough, Han could tell Onyx was a little short of breath, most likely due to an intense fight with the other man. He was underestimating Han by coming into this fight in that condition, and Han was determined to make him pay for it. He sent his aura hands forward to attack. Onyx swatted them back, all the while pushing forward. Han brought his fists up to meet his foe. Breaking through the aura hands, Onyx charged forward at Han. An insanely fast punch came flying at Han, who barely managed to sidestep it. He prepared to counterattack, but was far too slow. Onyx was already turning his momentum into a spinning kick coming straight at Han’s chest. At this range he couldn’t dodge, but he could still block. An aura hand moved to stop the kick, but was shattered by the incredible force of the kick. It slammed into Han, sending him reeling. His aura hands took up defensive positions, guarding their master, and Onyx backed off. Han coughed and spluttered. Despite being in this tired state, Onyx was fighting as well as, if not better than Han at his peak. They weren’t even in the same league. It was too late to take it all back. Han had to somehow find a way to win. Han brought his fists forward again, and moved his aura hands to hover near his foe. Onyx glanced at the hands, but didn’t seem worried in the slightest. His full focus was on Han. He dashed forward, throwing a punch at Han. An aura hand flashed down, nudging the punch off couse, and Han stepped into the gap, landing a solid punch of his own squarely in Onyx’s face. Onyx reeled back, but regained his balance in an instant, and hopped into the air, raising his right leg up in preparation for a heel drop on Han’s advance. An pair of aura hands grabbed Onyx by his raised ankle leaving him hanging. He flopped back, hanging upside down. Han moved in on Onyx, lowering his shoulder for a slam. Onyx raised himself back up and twisted, his free left leg swinging around on Han’s right. Han threw up his arms to block the kick, staggering back from the force of the kick. Onyx took the opportunity to reach up, and pry himself free of the aura hands’ grasp. Onyx fell to the ground, turning in midair to land on his hands and knees, but was back on his feet in an instant. Han was faster though, already inside his guard. This close range was where Han thrived. He threw jab after jab into Onyx’s chest and face. Onyx’s attempts to defend were in vain as the aura hands continued to harass him and throw off his rhythm. Unable to regain control of the situation, Onyx was forced to retreat back. Han grinned triumphantly. Somehow, he was pushing Onyx back, despite the huge gap in their skill. Han advanced forward again, his aura hands hovering near Onyx once again. As the hands closed in, Onyx sprang back. He went down to a crouch, and reached into the ground, pulling out a rock rod in each hand. Han and his hands closed in once again, and this time, Onyx leaped high into the sky. As he reached his apex, he twisted his body. Han didn’t know what was about to happen, but it couldn’t be anything good. He ran back, but sent his aura hands up to intercept Onyx. Less than a second later, Onyx started to spin like a helicopter, shards shooting off from the rock rods. The deadly hail of rock shards rained down on Han’s aura hands, shattering them. There wasn’t any time to move them away at all. Han realized too late that the destruction of his hands were Onyx’s goal to begin with. Not a single hand survived the onslaught. In an instant, Onyx had turned the tide of the battle. Falling back to the ground, Onyx landed in a crouch, and dropped what remained of the rods. An instant later, he rose into a sprint, pumping his arms in a furious charge at Han. With no more aura hands at his command, Han was defenseless, and there was no time to concentrate and make more. He still had the ones he had sent out as scouts from earlier, but they would probably be too slow. Still, he had to try. He called them back, and raised his fists in a desperate attempt to defend himself. Onyx would have none of it. Onyx grabbed onto his wrists and threw open Han’s guard. Han kicked at Onyx, but his shin met Onyx’s foot, forcing Han to step back. Onyx stepped forward to keep in range, and his hand darted to Han’s throat, closing around it in an iron grip. Han found himself being lifted up, and as he choked, he desperately clawed at Onyx’s arm trying to free himself. * * * Marcus’s eyes snapped opened as he gasped for breath. He had somehow fought back to consciouness. In an instant, everything came back to him. Onyx had knocked him out just as someone had come to his rescue. His head was ringing and his whole body still hurt like hell, but he needed to go help whoever it was. Marcus slowly got to his knees, ignoring his body’s complaints as best he could. He looked around for Onyx. He saw him almost immediately, up ahead, holding a masked man up by his throat. That had to be the silhouette he had seen earlier. Marcus raised his trembling left arm, grimacing and holding in the grunts of pain threatening to escape. Drawing what little energy he had left, he took aim, and fired off a Deathforce spike. It rocketed towards Onyx, who was still completely unaware. Marcus’s stare bored into Onyx’s back, willing him not to notice, and not dodge. It was in vain though. Glancing back, Onyx saw the spike, and promptly dropped the masked man. He sprang to the side as the spike flew past him. Marcus fell back into a sitting position, defeated. How was this even possible? This man’s sense of danger rivaled his own. “Did you really think that would work?” Onyx snarled at Marcus, then turned around and delivered a sharp kick to the masked man’s stomach, leaving him coughing and clutching his stomach in pain. Satisfied that he was out of the fight, Onyx turned back toward Marcus. “You assholes just don’t quit, do you?” He shook his head as he started walking over. Marcus raised his left arm again, but he knew full well Onyx would be able to dodge it. This was his only play though. He had no more tricks left up his sleeve. Onyx was going to win. Emptying his reserves of all the energy he had, he let loose his final spike. The spike flew at Onyx, and as expected, he deftly sidestepped it. The spike continued on, impaling itself into a tree in the distance. Onyx dashed forward to close the rest of the distance and kicked Marcus’s face, cracking his head back. Marcus struggled to right himself, finding himself looking at Onyx’s triumphant smile. Then something caught his eye. A pair of glowing hands grabbing onto one of his Deathforce spikes he had missed with earlier. They pulled it out of the tree it was embedded in, and flew at Onyx. Marcus glanced at the masked man from earlier, and could see he was straining. He was controlling the hands. Ignoring his protesting body, Marcus let out a yell of determination as he lunged at Onyx, wrapping himself around one of Onyx’s legs to root him to the spot. “What are you doing?” Onyx asked, exasperated and shaking his head. He raised his free foot, and brought it down on Marcus’s back. Marcus yelled out in pain, but forced himself to tighten his hold. He couldn’t let go, no matter what. This was his only chance. Onyx’s foot came down again and again. Then one stomp drove into the side of his face, tearing at his ear, and forcing his head down onto the ground. Marcus was unable to hold on, and could only grimace as Onyx broke free. It had all been for nothing. Onyx would surely realize and dodge now. “Are you really that desperate to make this harder?” Onyx shouted. “When we get back, I’m going to make you suff—“ The aura hands drove the spike through Onyx’s left shoulder, cutting him off midsentence. Onyx slowly turned around, then stepped back, confused and in shock. He clutched at his wound, backing away. The wound wasn’t fatal, and Marcus had no energy left to finish him off. There was no way he would be able to get up this time. But the masked man. Surely he would finish the job. Marcus strained to lift his head up from the ground. Where was he? The masked man was gone. Marcus looked back at Onyx, who had started staggering away as fast as he could. Marcus could hear sirens in the distance. He chuckled to himself. So he would be saved by the police after all. Marcus’s head fell back to the ground. He closed his eyes, letting the darkness wash over him. The fight was finally over. * * * The sirens were getting close. Han didn’t have much time. His body and throat still throbbed from the fight, but he ignored it. He had just impaled a man with a spike, probably killing him. He hadn’t stuck around to find out. Getting away was his number one concern. A pang of guilt hit him as he thought about the other man he had left behind. It felt horrible leaving behind someone who had saved his life. Han shook his head. He could think about this later. Besides, the police would probably find the man pretty quickly and take him to the hospital. Everything would work itself out. That man was made of some tough stuff. As Han got back to where he had hid his bike, he unlocked it, his trembling hands fumbling the keys several times. He got on his bike and took a deep breath to calm himself. With a little luck, he would be able to get deeper into the mountains to avoid the police and go back home after things had settled down. Next Chapter